The VP- Split Analysis and Argument Structure in Linguistic Theory: A Comparative Study of Classical Arabic and Modern English

Abstract

This study analyzes the argument structure of the verb in two different languages, Classical Arabic and Modern English. The study aims at providing concrete and crucial evidence that argument structure (the verb and the arguments it takes) is a universal property (Principles), whereas the surface syntactic structure is parametric (cross-linguistic variations). Moreover, this study attempts to demonstrate that the VP-Split hypothesis Larson 1988, inter alia, can provide a unified structural analysis of the argument structure of the triliteral verb in Classical Arabic as it does in Modern English. The study seeks to show that the VP-Split hypothesis can capture the inseparable complex semantic and structural relations of the verb in both languages. The study suggests that the VP is split into the core VP, which includes the root V (الفعل المجرد), whereas the light v (the outer shell) comprises the phonological/ morphological variations (المزيد), which together dictate the argument structure of the verb. This study is conducted within Chomsky’s Principles and Parameters Framework (Chomsky 1981, 1982, 1991, 1993) and the Minimalist Program (1995).